The Warm-Up!
“Beauty lies not in colors but in their harmony.” -Proust
At Litnivorous we like to think our writing prompts are not just about writing poems, but learning new terms and techniques while exposing folks to poets and poems they may not have encountered before, but it occurs to me that brevity is also a valued attribute to a prompt. The word “prompt” does, after all, imply a temporal element. So, here is something short and simple-ish! Gooooood luck.
First, complete this questionnaire originally assembled by Proust.
(To view Proust’s answers go here.)
Your most marked characteristic?
The quality you most like in a man?
The quality you most like in a woman?
What do you most value in your friends?
What is your principle defect?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your dream of happiness?
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
What would you like to be?
In what country would you like to live?
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite flower?
What is your favorite bird?
Who are your favorite prose writers?
Who are your favorite poets?
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Who are your favorite composers?
Who are your favorite painters?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Who are your favorite heroines of history?
What are your favorite names?
What is it you most dislike?
What historical figures do you most despise?
What event in military history do you most admire?
What reform do you most admire?
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
How would you like to die?
What is your present state of mind?
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
What is your motto?
The Exercise!
Write a poem starting with your name.
To make it interesting you can add a verb after your name, for example,
Dorothy Agrees
Dorothy Asks
Dorothy Climbs
Dorothy Speaks
Dorothy Births
Dorothy Graduates
Dorothy Denies
Dorothy Sweeps
The questionnaire was just meant to get your brain-muscles squeezing out thoughts on YOU…use your responses in the poem or don’t use them, your choice.
That’s all folks!
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